I am now 56 but about 8 yrs. ago for some reason my belly distended.There was no bloating or gas my belly was big and round and hard. The first 2 weeks I gained 15 lbs. then during the next 2 months I gained an additional 40 lbs without changing what I ate. Also I felt like my body was toxic like I had been poisoned and could not be touched without it causing me pain. I am only 5' 3" so I ended up weighing 200 lbs. and my body felt like it couldn't stretch anymore without tearing open. I also felt something on the upper left quadrant of my abdomin like a water balloon inside my body. I was so scared doctors wouldnt do all the test's needed as I have no insurance and cant have a medical card either. I went on Atkin's Diet lost some weight but ever since then have had a belly that makes me look pregnant its not as hard and round as it used to be and the feeling of something being inside me that doesnt belong there is still with me. I have still got weight issues no matter how much I work at losing weight. Some weight is creeping up on me now as I have once again reached 175 lbs. 24 yrs ago I was hospitalized and checked for Mono and then Luekemia and told I didnt have so was going to be checked for Lou Gherig's Disease and never was. But the doctors did find that I had lots of immature white blood cells and my spleen had tripled in size. Well now I have been bitten by a tick and have either Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever or Lyme Disease and have 6-7 more days before I know what it is that I have. Anyway during my research it looks possible that I may have had some kind of tick-borne illness before. I hav been at my wit's end with this and gave up trying to figure this out but pray that someday GOD will let something happen so that I get to know what this is. I was always a small person until 8 yrs. ago. Anybody out there have ANY ideas?

Well, seeing doctors 1st is a must, as well you know. Your condition does not seem like something to mess around with by searching the internet. There must be some sort of clinic/hospital that sees patients without any health insurance. There just must be.....search around for that 1st.

Having said, apparently histamine in the body in overdrive mode, does create a lot of problems.pls. google search: mast cells, ketotifen and search around the links for something that matches your description. Again, gee wiz, I wish you found a proper hospital that would look into this, just to rule out major other things.

I found a German Research web site, state of the art nano technology, that just this past Aug., found that we have more neurotransmitters in the gut instead of the brain and that the mast cells are misfiring causing all sorts of problems as they are releasing a cocktail of histamine, protease and serotonin. Until now, all GI's that gave a colonoscopy & took a bit of tissue to test, were NOT equipped with a Stain kit.....so that they could not see a low level of inflammation and that is why the mast cells went crazy causing my problem with IBS.

Since then, I am finding more & more info as to the trouble all these mast cells in the intestines are causing. For me, I am taking Ketotifen an anti-histamine for asthma patients, but I am also finding that K., is being used for other problems as well. So you might check out problems that mast cells are creating. Keep switching around the key words in your search. ie: mast cells create health issues; list of health issues mast cells create; cause of mast cell over producing histamine etc., you get the idea.

Anyway, it all boils down to food intolerances, believe it or not.....but more and more info is now popping up to support that fact.

Perhaps a good Naturopath or someone along those lines that does muscle testing for food intolerances would be a cheaper start for you.

Hi,I have been suffering from the same symptoms; bloating, breathing difficulty, big belly... someone suggested that my stomach bacteria could have been destroyed by antibiotics or for some other reason. They suggested that i try probiotic (a form of the bacterias) and i was wondering if any of you have tried this and where i can find it.thanks

Gsweden wrote: i was wondering if any of you have tried this and where i can find it.thanks

Hello Gsweden,

I am so NOT a supporter of probiotics. WHY? I'm glad you asked that question! lolololBecause of many reasons and the 1st & foremost is bcos they are a waste of monies, they are just a TEMPORARY band-aide. In other words, they do not stay in your system, you poop them out by the next day. They have no way of adhering to your intestinal track.

Next important reason. You stomach dumps the food directly into the small intestine which is super long. There should be NO bacteria in there what so ever. The small intestine is strictly for digestion only. From there, the food is dumped into the large intestine, also very long, and that is where the colony of our bacteria's, good and bad live. They are already adhered to the intestinal walls and constantly fight for territory. Keeping them in an eco-friendly balance system is the key. If one eats nothing but the foods favoured by the bad guys, ie: candida, then they will win the battle and take over more territory. Probiotics cannot get rid of these guys. What you have to do at this point is google search: Foods that feed the friendly bacteria, and eat those foods. But that too takes so long. Or what if the good guys are over populated? hmmm. Or what if the probiotics that you buy are not the correct bacteria to help you with your problem in the first place. More and more proof of what I am saying is coming to light. Don't read the web sites that are selling this stuff. Find the medical web sites. A great place to start is read about the pioneer of the bacteria transplants from health human donors, Dr. Borody, Australia.

There are a bunch of other reasons, but those are the 2 most important ones.

Also, what is coming to light since the German Research companies discovery of the cause of IBS, is that most intestinal problems are cause by food intolerances. The cheapest way to go is to find an Naturopath who does muscle testing to see what foods you are intolerant of. Even the naturopaths with limited knowledge about the eco-balance of the gut bacteria colony will promote probiotics, but if you do your homework b4 seeing one of those, you will just say it's a band-aid and not a cure, that you want to re-build your intestinal linings and what to take for that. I was advised by a member in the IBS forum to use L-Glutamine powder and to stay away from probiotics. here is the link to that page: http://www.ibsgroup.org/forums/index.ph ... heres-how/

Keep in mind the author knew he suffered from SIBO (small intestinal bacteria overgrowth)If you are doing the hit and miss guessing, like most of us did in the past, you will suffer longer and be out of a lot of money with no cure in site.

The Bioenergetic Intolerance Elimination (BIE) treatment that I finally stumbled upon got me fixed up pretty quick as they do the muscle testing and permanent removal of not only your food intolerance but clinical allergies as well. This past Wed., was my 2nd session and she could only incl. one of my clinical allergies into this treatment, as we are still addressing my intestines.....cat allergies. I woke Thurs morning with much less head congestion. hmmm. The 3rd session will address my other clinical allergies and I will have a better handle on knowing if BIE really does work. btw: they also test for parasites and candida. Since I gave up the foods that they found that I was intolerant to, my tummy has gone down so much that every where I go, ppl comment on the incredible weight loss in such a short time.

So if I were you I would have 2 things checked out, food intolerances and SIBO's b4 attempting to fix anything. But then again, that is only my opinion. I sure did waste a lot of time, health & money trying to diagnose myself. I hope that you too will not make that mistake. All I know is finally, after all these years of suffering, I am on the mend now.

JackBean wrote:Hi CheeMiss, I see you made here your little Queendom, didn't you?

Well, the bacteria are all around, even in your stomach and small intestine. How do you think they go to your large intestine? Through anus or mouth? You eat plenty of bacteria each day.

Thank you for your sarcasm and jealousy of my efforts to share INTELLIGENT knowledge & even suggest that ppl do their own investigative homework.

I would like to ask you one thing.......are you actually, really serious???? The bacteria in your mouth and every where else IS COMPLETELY DIFFERENT to that of the bacteria in the intestines!

I strongly suggest YOU do your homework.......I have no crown nor am I a queen, but I am making an effort to share knowledge & have civil discussions, what are you sharing? Your sarcasm and lack of knowledge?

I started noticing I looked pregnant also. I also eat well and exercise. I went to the doctor and told her I felt bloated and would feel bad after I ate. I also had a loss of appetite and would get full really quickly. She tested me for H. Pylori and it came back positive. I am treating it with the Prevpac and it should go away. I would suggest getting tested for it. It can lead to ulcers and stomach cancer if left untreated.

Hi have been looking for answers to this terrible and ongoing problem with stomach bloating. I woke up on Monday and my stomach looked like I was nine months pregnant. As one lady described on the forum that it looked as though she had swallowed a basketball. I haven't been able to eat much since then because my tummy is so tight and full. Actually I feel a bit scared to have anything much in case I pop. Anyway I think I might have found some answers today...I hope. Three weeks ago I had a tooth extracted and was put on a course of antibiotics. I found some apple cider vinegar in the fridge and decided to take a tablespoon everyday because it is good for you. A week ago I developed thrush and have been taking antibiotics since then.Google Candida: How to cure your symptoms. THIS COULD BE THE ROOT TO ALL OUR EVILS!

Well, educate me, how do you get the bacteria into your gut______________Ok, smart people. Educate me too. I am going to try probiotics, because I do not know any other way.

Eat. Anything. There are very few foodstuff that would be sterile.Touch your mouth with your hand...Plus remember that unless you have been raised in a bubble, your gut has been quite filled with bacteria since almost day (hour?) 1.There is not proof that probiotics are any better at sticking inside that any other bacteria coming through any other way.

Patrick

Science has proof without any certainty. Creationists have certainty without
any proof. (Ashley Montague)